Concussions are becoming more relevant in the media and news stream especially in light of the most recent Super Bowl. Professional athletes have access to the best doctors and neurologists, who can explain the possible side effects of concussions and help make the best decisions regarding post concussion disorders. On the other hand, the public and non professional athletes are less knowledgeable about this topic and have less access to information. The majority of people get their information off the internet. Considering doctors and researchers are still debating future effects the conclusions online are ambiguous and it is hard to find accurate sources. For this reason, my topic for the research essay is the lack of concussion education for non professional athletes. There is legislation in every state requiring coaches, trainers and athletes to take action to recover from concussions but there is little information about concussions to allow said people to make educated decisions about diagnosing them. I believe with a greater emphasis on concussion education athletes can properly come forward and be diagnosed before more damage is done due to inaction. Many players are unaware they have a concussion or concussion like symptoms and continue to practice, increasing the severity of the head trauma. This need for education directly effected me because in high school I suffered from five concussions and had I known more about possible permanent damage I would have made different choices.

 My history with concussions makes me both qualified and passionate enough to write about the lack of action towards concussion education. I was fortunate enough to have trainers and doctors that taught me about concussions but most athletic programs do not have a high concern for possible concussions. Anyone that has sustained a concussion is at risk for post concussion disorders. My experience with concussions makes me biased to the fact that concussions can greatly effect one's life and every precaution should be taken to avoid permanent damage. I will work to limit my bias while researching and presenting my topic.

The first article was on Science Daily and discussed young athlete's hesitation to report concussions even though most players are aware of the symptoms. The article explained that high school athletes have the highest concussion rates and many are returning to play sooner than they should. Concussion frequency has jumped from 150,000 in 2001 to 250,000 in 2009." The author went on to explain the harmful side effects that can come from playing through an injury "including depression, suicidal impulses, Alzheimer's disease or the neurodegenerative condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)". The bias that the National Academy of Sciences uses, is towards increased concussion education in hopes of using information to persuade athletes to take action towards a safe recovery. They are advocating for change. The National Academy of Sciences uses statistics and recent studies by the Institute of Medicine, to help prove its credibility and persuade its audience of the dangers of concussions. 

The second article was written by an author at PBS and cites numerous studies done by the Institute of Medicine to help prove his ethos. He discusses the high numbers of high school football players that are diagnosed with concussions is "11.2 [concussions] for every 10,000 games and practices". Breslow's main point is that more research is being done however athletes are continuing to ignore concussion signs. This gap in communication is a result of lack of education. If parents and athletes know more about the deadly post concussion side effects that have changed the life of many athlete's, they would be more likely to report concussions and take ample recovery time. Breslow wants people to be more careful and report injuries. He uses studies by the Institute of Medicine and the name credibility of PBS to make a difference. 

The last article focuses solely on lack of reporting and reasons athletes think this is the best option. Using statistics and information from studies done at Wake Forest, the University of North Carolina, and other universities. These colleges have strong athletic programs and are concerned with the brain function of their classmates. Clearly they are credible because they are published and De Lench primarily uses their research. They discovered most players did not report because they did not want to be removed from play or they did not want to let their team and coaches down. This is extremely concerning because everyone should be on board with the young athlete's health and safety. Coaches should be able to recognize hard hits and symptoms and pull players off the field. The long term brain effects are more import than one or two games. This information is a building block for my argument. 

This is an arguable topic because many people different views on how concussions are handled in the NFL and non professionally. Some even believe that there is no real correlation to long term side effects. There is so much debate in the medical world revolving around concussions and proper treatment but education and awareness is the first step in the change process. I think it is important for us to keep researching and have access to information that is understandable to everyday people. This is why I believe there should be an increase in concussion education and a standard diagnosis process. I have many points to discuss and will not have a problem reaching ten pages.

